Physician, Heal The System
Well, he's not likely to. Why on earth would Canada's medical community elect from among themselves a proponent of medical free enterprise in a country dedicated to universal accessibility as a lodestone of public policy? Where every citizen of this country is entitled through legislation access to publicly-funded medical and hospital care?
The universality of Canada's public health system is sufficiently stressed through the wear and tear of rising costs and lingering wait times for needed surgery. It it those issues which should be addressed. Not that of urging the government to assent to the gradual opening up to private medical facilities. Dr. Day's own for-profit clinics ensure he has prospered, not the community of health-care-requiring Canadians.
We're already burdened with such facilities which have the effect of undercutting the availability of medical specialists in publicly funded facilities as they stream toward the unregulated and higher-remuneration private medical industry. Dr. Brian Day, the incoming president of The Canadian Medical Association has the distinction of having been named "Dr. Profit".
Just what we all need. The Canadian system does already recognize the efficiency of some private-sector medical involvement in the health of Canadians, through the existence of privately-operated therapeutic units, X-ray, scanning and blood-testing facilities to augment those offered by over-worked and over-run hospital installations.
The introduction of greater numbers of private clinics offering access to faster medical service has the very real potential to destroy the universality of health care in Canada. Those who can afford to pay the fees for service up-front without feeling the economic pinch of costly medical services suborn the current system.
There are those who argue that those who can afford such services do an additional service to the universal system by freeing up wait times, but that's just a tad precious.
Fact is, we've got a fairly good universal health care system in Canada. It's over-burdened and some would say under-funded, although much of what ails the system can also be attributed to a failure in administration. Long wait-times for services can also be attributed to the fact that provincial governments have seen fit to close hospitals and integrate procedures in central institutions.
Added to the provinces having mandated fewer doctors be trained through our universities in the past finally catching up with us and leaving us lamentably short of medical professionals, we've got the situation we're currently chafing under. That the best the president-elect of the CMA has to offer is a pay-for-service model for our hospitals is fairly miserable to say the least.
The universality of Canada's public health system is sufficiently stressed through the wear and tear of rising costs and lingering wait times for needed surgery. It it those issues which should be addressed. Not that of urging the government to assent to the gradual opening up to private medical facilities. Dr. Day's own for-profit clinics ensure he has prospered, not the community of health-care-requiring Canadians.
We're already burdened with such facilities which have the effect of undercutting the availability of medical specialists in publicly funded facilities as they stream toward the unregulated and higher-remuneration private medical industry. Dr. Brian Day, the incoming president of The Canadian Medical Association has the distinction of having been named "Dr. Profit".
Just what we all need. The Canadian system does already recognize the efficiency of some private-sector medical involvement in the health of Canadians, through the existence of privately-operated therapeutic units, X-ray, scanning and blood-testing facilities to augment those offered by over-worked and over-run hospital installations.
The introduction of greater numbers of private clinics offering access to faster medical service has the very real potential to destroy the universality of health care in Canada. Those who can afford to pay the fees for service up-front without feeling the economic pinch of costly medical services suborn the current system.
There are those who argue that those who can afford such services do an additional service to the universal system by freeing up wait times, but that's just a tad precious.
Fact is, we've got a fairly good universal health care system in Canada. It's over-burdened and some would say under-funded, although much of what ails the system can also be attributed to a failure in administration. Long wait-times for services can also be attributed to the fact that provincial governments have seen fit to close hospitals and integrate procedures in central institutions.
Added to the provinces having mandated fewer doctors be trained through our universities in the past finally catching up with us and leaving us lamentably short of medical professionals, we've got the situation we're currently chafing under. That the best the president-elect of the CMA has to offer is a pay-for-service model for our hospitals is fairly miserable to say the least.
posted by Pieface | 5:12 PM
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